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Friday, November 28, 2014

This is how we feel when we get selected for the TPT Newsletter. Good thing you can't see us when we open our emails!

Totally awesome and it made my day, month, no - YEAR. So here goes my Story.

Did you know TPT sends out Holiday E-Books filled with tips and freebies? 50 freebies to be exact. I ran across a post in the forum a few days before the deadline for entries for this wonderful E-Book and thought, "Hey! I am going to do this." I got my tunnel vision on and after sitting for a solid day I finished and submitted it. I was notified about a week later that it was chosen. Yea! Mine was chosen! (I just had visions of the little aliens in toy story when they say they were the chosen one).

I had to read it several times to make sure I wasn't misreading it. This Holiday E-Book goes out in the TPT Newsletter on December 7th so look for it. Like I said, it is loaded with tips and freebies and they are all in 1 place! I am so excited and thrilled to be part of the E-Book.

On to the Next . . .

Happy Thanksgiving! Did you go shopping? I did but I did it on-line. Sea World had a great special. It's one of my sons favorite places. I was able to get 3 year round passes, 3 free additional tickets, and free parking for the price of 3 (1) day passes! SCORE. I am so thrilled to be living here in San Diego County. We are really enjoying it. Leave a comment if you scored something - I'd love to hear what you bought!

This week I spent some time redoing a couple of units I made last year during the season so of course they were posted after the season. I opened them up and I am sure glad I did. I completely redid both units and organized them. What a breath of fresh air. It is so weird because I must have certainly thought they were great last year. Here are a couple of pictures so you can see the change. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the change.

and

I redid a lot of the insides as well and added more activities. Both have a Free Pages if you download the preview. You can click on the pictures to take you to the units and get the FREEBIES these are not the same freebies as the Holiday E-Book.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Pinterest AnalyticsSay What? I finally took the time to look at my Pinterest Analysis data to see what was happening with my pins and, well, I think I am just a bad pinner who should have paid more attention in my economics classes. I know data analysis is important and gives you information about what is working and what is not but data analysis is just not my thing. It does not interest me, it is not fun, it is boring and it is I am sure the "lifeline" of successful businesses. Probably time to pull the hubby in to look at it. He is much better than me at that stuff. I just like to make things and he loves numbers so that should work. Update (December 9, 2015): I still don't know much about the analytics but I can tell which items people are interested in. However, I can also safely say that most my pins go in the Pinterest blackhole abyss unless I promote them which is a whole new story so I wouldn't exactly say just because my pictures don't get pins mean it isn't classroom and student worthy. Perhaps nobody has even seen it. Pinterest AlgorithmsI was reading a post today about Pinterest and how it changed it's algorithm. I was wondering why I wasn't even seeing my own pins anymore and now I am bummed because the people I follow - well even all their pins won't show up in my live feed. Now that stinks. I count on those pins so I don't have to spend time searching. From what I understand, if you count on Pinterest to get people to your blog and TPT/Etsy/Teachers Notebook stores then you just got a hammer over the head. I feel relieved I never invested a ton of time like I should have to figure the whole PINNER MARKETING thing out to get people to come visit here. Update: Well, Pinterest is probably worth investing time in to to get your items/projects noticed. and I need to research more on how Pinterest works and I NEED to organize my boards in a bad way.Pinterest Analytics was Really DepressingI found I have quite a few impressions and honestly I am just going to throw this out there - I don't even really know exactly what a Pinterest Impression how many times Pinterest shows your pin but then only had few clicks from those impressions. I think that may mean they visited me at this blog and left (going to Google it after I'm done). Google it and here is an article that explains the basics:Pinterest Analytics ArticleWhat I Found OutI found out that my Free "When I Went Walking Unit" has the most clicks and my Doubles plus One has the most interest along with my rotting pumpkin post.Update: So here was a duh moment. Well I certainly should have put links to other like projects/units in this post because it is the post that is seen the most!Research I am going to go keep an eye on the analytics and try to clean up my very messy boards. They resemble my teaching cabinets after a whole year of shoving and hiding and then you end up with this BIG HOT mess and you just want to throw it all away and start over. Very tempting, very tempting.My ExperimentSo I think I am going to post snapshots of my Pinterest Analytics weekly (maybe monthly), track the changes I make to my boards and pins along with the info. I find about all this Pinterest Analytics and new algorithm and how it is affecting/effecting (good or bad) this lil' o blog. Update: Epic Fail . Didn't do it. Note to self - Make it this years goal. TPTI also found these links:

https://www.teacherslovedata.com/searchIf you want to search your own and quite honestly, I'm putting them here so I can find them again!I went on the forum on TPT and read someones post about their spot on top sellers in California. I was curious so I went an looked up mine. I really wasn't certain where I would be. I was on page 9 of I don't know how many pages.Showing 401-450 of 5,267 for CA only. Showing 200-250 of 7,974 for CA only (9/3/16.

I was #446. I really was surprised because I don'make a lot of $$$ from TPT. Which tells meit must be very top heavy as far as sales are concerned.Update (December 9, 2015): #289Update (December 21,2015): #289Update (January 18, 2016): #271

(Thoughts to self - this is taking a loooooong time to move up one page. It's like moving a mountain)! But I am grateful I am increasing.Update (October 10th): #202 Page 5(Things are picking up again)

and on page 6. So I can safely say I am improving. I went up a 157 spots in just a little over a year. I think the closer you get in the top 100 (for your state that is) it gets harder and harder to move up the ranks. Goal for this coming year is to at least improve to page 4 and be ranked #189 or lower. 100spots is a good goal I think. I'm continuing to do my own little experiment so you can learnmore about the rankings if you have items on TPT. So I will log rankings 1 to 2 times amonth. I have a been tracking my rankings overall lately and I have found it to be quite interesting. I wish I would have started tracking it sooner with data so it could giveyou insight. Better now then never.I can tell you that it has taken 2.5 monthsto move 11 pages overall. When I first found how to find my rankings I was on page 70 and#3,8?? or 3,9??. I didn't write it down.For whatever reason, it appears that my itemsare more searchable and findable now from what they were. The same items I have hadare now picking up momentum.Overall: #2,940 (March 12)

Up approx. 1,000 in 2.5 months.Overall: #2,694 (April 25th)

Overall: #2,603 (May 15th)Overall: #2,524 (September 3rd)Note: The long 3 month absence here was because I kept checking and then quit checking so I wouldn't get frustrated. It was a struggleto just stay between overall seller #2,555-2,999 over the entire summer. I would stay the same, go up 3, go back 4 the ENTIRE summer! I am finally moving up a little. But I went up 9 two days ago and went back 3 yesterday. However, my sales did not decrease from lastyear at the same time. They were up - slightly.Overall: #2,475 (October 10th)

I make things when I can or feel like it or need it. I started selling things on TPT so I would stop dippinginto my personal account for school supplies and projects. I enjoy making units and projects and wouldn't do it otherwise. So I think I'll keep track of my rankings each month to see if it has a directcorrelation with what I actually make. Of course it is (duh moment). I guess the more accurate question or statement would be: When you get to rank 3,000 you can expect to make have made approx. ???? this much. The amount of time it would take individual sellers to get to that ranking would alldiffer dependent on the amount of work each individual seller puts into making products and marketing them through social media.I am thankful you visit me here and find the units I make useful. Ithelps me supply my kiddos with a more enriched curriculum and projects. Did you need to know all this . . . probably not but just in case you'rewondering. Good Night

How was your Veteran's Day? We had a lazy day here watching Veteran movies all day. I am thankful for Veterans past and present. I had found a wonderful post from a teacher about Veteran's Day at Fairy Tales and Fiction by 2. She has an awesome free Veterans Day Poster for the kids to color. In the midst of my lazy day, I made a mini-math unit. If you are in need of some Thanksgiving math activities and quick with little prep - here you go!

I made some story problem sheets similar to these for Christmas and the kids really liked them. The story problems walk children through the steps and they graph the parts of the story problem. This helps them create a visual for counting and helps build their number sense. There are 6 free sheets in the download you might like to try.

Children also practice equal shares. There are different options to fit the needs of your kids or grade level. They write the answer on the 2nd sheet. Each activity sheet is turned into a journal entry if you prefer to do those instead.

This is in the unit as well. I just made this one for extra practice. If you are interested in this unit or the 6 free sheets to try the unit out click HERE or on any of the pictures above.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

I am telling you I am trying to get things done but it just isn't happening. I had Halloween activities I completed for my Kinders (not finished) and I had leaf investigation activities (not finished), I have color units (not finished), I have nursery rhyme units (not finished), I have the diphthongs ou and ow unit - FINISHED! Are you seeing a trend here? Wait - don't answer that. I am the queen of not finished. I have a kazillion projects going at once and I just need to stop that. Yea! Hip Hip Hooray I say and an A-M-E-N to that. I work on things as I need them so as time passes I am too busy making things for the current skills and needs of my kiddos that I don't have time to clean it up and wrap it up so maybe by next year this time I can offer what I did this year - sad face.

This Pin from Pinterest sums up my brain

SERIOUSLY

I actually don't need the phonics units for my kinder kids but I never finished them from last year and had some requests so I am working on that for the moment during these glorious 4 days off.

Here is a ou or ow word search if you want it just for letting me tell you how I don't finish thing and how I need to start. I put it in the preview so you have to download it and scroll down. This mini-phonics units are turning out to be not so mini. I get these ideas then add more.

Here are a few pictures of activities that are not so blurry. I am really excited about these circle maps.

. . .and I learned from my class last year that I needed variations with the activities so all students could complete the activities confidently and independently. So almost all the independent practice sheets have 2 options. Below is a table of contents . . .